Women's Lacrosse 2012 Game Highlight

03/17/2012 - Post University

15 SECOND HALF GOALS HELP WILMINGTON LACROSSE TO CACC VICTORY OVER POST, 20-13

WATERBURY, Conn. - - Trailing 8-5 at the halftime break, the Wilmington University women’s lacrosse team erupted for 15 second half goals to come back and defeat Post, 20-13, in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opening game for the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at LaMoy Field.

Five separate players scored a hat-trick for the Wildcats (4-1, 1-0 CACC) who are off to their best start since the 2006 team started the season 5-0. Post (1-4, 0-2 CACC) got four goals apiece from Miranda Polaski and Morgan Kanavy but was outscored 15-5 in the second half to fall for the third straight game.

The Wildcats scored five of the first six goals to open the second half to get back into the contest and take their first lead of the game since the 16:51 mark of the first half.

Meggan Apgar got high-scoring second half started with her second goal of the game only a 1:43 into the second frame. After Post retaliated with a goal to make it a three-goal game again at 9-6, the Wildcats tallied four straight marks to take a 10-9 lead with 23:14 showing on the game clock. Jaclyn Hall, Kory Webster and Rebecca Guethler scored during the run, as Guethler scored back-to-back goals to break a 9-9 tie.

Post’s Polaski scored her final goal of the game to tie the game again at 10-10 with 20:42 to play in regulation, but Wilmington responded with five straight goals to take the lead for good.

Liz Case put home the eventual game-winner on an unassisted goal, her second of the match but first since the opening 13 seconds of the game, to make it 11-10 with 18:24 left to play. Webster added onto the lead with another goal before Megan Keffer scored successive man-up and man-down goals in a two-minute span to really take command of the game. Apgar finished off the run with an assist from Keffer with 12:22 left in regulation to put the visitors up 15-10.

The Eagles’ Kanavy broke up the consecutive point streak by Keffer with her third goal of the game, but then the Wildcats used another four-goal run to put the game away and pick up their fourth win of the year. Jessica Graybeal notched her fifth goal of the season on a man-down free position shot before Keffer tallied her game’s hat-trick to make it 17-11 with 7:05 to play.

Ashley Kroll, Guethler and Case scored the final three goals for the Wildcats before cruising to the win.

Head coach Jackie Trainer made a change in goal at the half, putting in Corrine Dries after the break and it paid off as Dries earned her first win of the season after making seven saves in the cage. Kaitlyn Hall stopped six shots in the first half.

Case, Apgar, Webster, Guethler, and Keffer all finished the game with three goals each, while Case, Webster and Keffer each added an assist to tally four points on the afternoon. Keffer’s effort came off the bench for Trainer and the Wildcats. Graybeal scored two goals and led the team with five draw controls and three ground balls.

As a team, the Wildcats outshot the Eagles, 46-30, and won the battle on the ground, picking up 19 ground balls to Post’s 13. Wilmington scored on each of their two extra-man opportunities while holding the Eagles to a 1-for-5 effort on the day.

Wilmington will be back in action on Tuesday when they host Holy Family at the Kirkwood Soccer Complex. Holy Family was picked to finish third in the CACC preseason coaches’ poll after reaching the CACC Tournament last season. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. start.